The Child Predator of Oakland County

(From the Weird Darkness episode, “From Leeds to Lore, The Jersey Devil”: https://weirddarkness.com/jerseydevil/)

It is widely acknowledged that individuals who target children are among the most abhorrent beings in existence. While it is one matter to apprehend and administer appropriate justice to the offender (even questioning if any punishment can truly suffice), the quandary arises when the perpetrator remains unidentified. This unfortunate scenario pertains to the Oakland County Child Killer (OCCK), who continues to elude identification.

The tragic sequence of events commenced on February 15, 1976, when 12-year-old Mark Stebbins failed to return home after visiting an American Legion Hall in Ferndale, Michigan. Despite informing his mother of his imminent return at approximately 1:30 pm, Mark never made it back. Concerned, his mother contacted the authorities at 11 pm that evening.

Mark was a student in 7th grade at Lincoln Junior High school, standing at 4’7” tall and weighing just 100 pounds, with strawberry-blonde hair. Extensive search endeavors yielded no results, until a pivotal discovery transpired: businessman Mark Boetigheimer, while departing work to visit a drug store within the New Orleans mall in Southfield, noticed a peculiar sight in the northeast quadrant of the parking lot.

Initially resembling a mannequin garbed in a blue jacket and jeans, it turned out to be the lifeless form of Mark Stebbins. Tragically, Mark had been strangled to death, with asphyxiation determined as the cause. His head exhibited lacerations to the left and rear, alongside rope burns on his neck, wrists, and ankles. Moreover, he had been violated with a foreign object. During the course of their investigation, the police interrogated several individuals in the vicinity. One individual informed the authorities that he had taken his dog for a walk around the parking lot earlier that day, approximately at 9:30 am. He specified that his dog was on a 20-foot leash and claimed that if had there been a body present during that time, either he or his dog would have noticed it. Boetigheimer encountered him at around 11:45 am, leaving a time frame of 2 hours and 15 minutes for a body to have been disposed of. No suspect was apprehended.

On December 22, 1976, 12-year-old Jill Robinson had a disagreement with her mother. Given their recent divorce, tensions between Jill and her mother were not uncommon. Following an altercation where her mother asked her to assist in preparing dinner by making biscuits, which Jill refused, her mother instructed her to leave until she was ready to engage with the family. Jill made the impulsive decision to run away, gathering clothes, a blanket, and dressed in blue jeans, a shirt, an orange winter coat paired with a blue knit cap, she departed her residence in Royal Oak.

Despite residing with her mother, Jill frequently visited her father. Concerned, her father contacted the authorities around 11:30 pm that evening. Described as intelligent but solitary, Jill was not expected to seek refuge with a friend. Subsequently, witnesses reported sighting her at a hobby shop merely 4.5 blocks from her home. The following morning, between 6 am and 7 am, she was seen by additional witnesses at Donut Depot. Her bicycle was later discovered behind a local hobby store. Jill’s body was discovered beside I-75, to the north of Big Beaver Road, within sight of the Troy police station, on December 26. She was fully clothed, lying on her back without any restraints, and was accompanied by her backpack. A ring of dark red encircled her head, revealing that she had been fatally shot. The perpetrator had relocated her remains to the site and then executed her in close proximity with a shotgun.

The subsequent autopsy revealed that she had received care for a minimum of three days prior to her passing. Her body had been cleansed and, unlike Mark, displayed no indicators of sexual assault. Despite ongoing investigations, the perpetrator remained unidentified.

The perpetrator wasted no time in striking again, as on January 2, 1977, 10-year-old Kristine Mihelich was reported missing. Kristine had ventured to a nearby 7-Eleven store from her residence in Berkley, where she lived with her mother. A reserved and introverted fifth-grade student at Pattengill Elementary School, Kristine had few companions.

With Kristine now marking the third missing child within a brief span in Oakland County, anxiety levels began to escalate. Concerned about Kristine’s whereabouts, her siblings repeatedly inquired, “When will she return?” In a statement on January 5, her mother remarked, “Though people mention the Royal Oak girl (Jill Robinson), I refuse to contemplate that thought.”

Nineteen days later, Kristine’s loved ones received closure. A postal worker stumbled upon her lifeless body nestled in a snowdrift at the terminus of a desolate road in Franklin Village. Recounting the harrowing discovery, the mail carrier Jerry Wozny recollected, “I noticed a hand… It filled me with dread.”Kristine was found fully clothed, positioned on her back with her knees drawn up. There were no immediate signs of violence; her body was so frozen that officials had to delay the autopsy until the next day. Post-mortem results revealed she had been smothered to death less than 24 hours before her discovery. Her killer had held her captive for 18 days.

A task force consisting of 35 officers representing 9 different departments was assembled to locate the perpetrator. The task force was stationed in Southfield, with Police Sgt. Joseph Krease leading the investigation.

As of March 16, 1977, they had yet to apprehend the killer. Timothy King, an 11-year-old boy known for his athleticism and sociable nature, left his residence in Birmingham to walk three blocks to the pharmacy. His aim was to purchase some candy, bringing along his skateboard and football. Regrettably, Timothy never made it back home.

During Timothy’s disappearance, his parents were dining at a nearby restaurant, while his two older brothers were also away. Before heading out herself, Timothy’s older sister lent him money for the candy and left the door slightly ajar for his return convenience.

Upon returning around 9 p.m., Timothy’s parents discovered the door ajar and an empty house. They contacted his friends and conducted a search in the vicinity, but there was no sign of him. Police officers visited the pharmacy to question clerk Amy Walters, who recalled interacting with the boy named Tim. She remembered selling him candy and seeing him exit through a rear door into a dimly lit parking lot around 8:30 pm. Police Chief Jerry Tobin expressed concern, stating, “Whatever happened to Tim occurred between his departure from the store and his arrival home. The situation does not look favorable at this point.”

Timothy King went missing on a Wednesday, prompting a massive search effort involving 100 law enforcement officials from Oakland County, as well as volunteers, Oakland County Sheriff’s Investigators, the county helicopter, and the special Oakland County Task Force.

Timothy’s father shared his love for his son, emphasizing Tim’s absence from a basketball game on Saturday and a missed practice on Thursday. Describing Tim as an active participant in school activities, his father expressed a strong desire for his safe return.

In a troubling revelation, it was disclosed that Timothy had previously mentioned to his mother his intentions of running away from strangers the week before his disappearance.

A woman reported witnessing Timothy conversing with a man in the pharmacy parking lot. She provided a detailed description of the man as white, aged between 25 and 35, with dark brown shaggy hair, muttonchops sideburns, a fair complexion, and a husky build. The man drove a late model blue AMC Gremlin with whitewall tires and a distinctive white “hockey stick” stripe along the side. Police came to suspect that he had been abducted by one or perhaps two individuals, who might potentially be linked to other cases involving murdered children in the vicinity. By that time, there were a total of six cases under investigation – two of which were initially considered potentially related, with one ultimately being disproven as connected. Chief Tobin expressed, “We believe we are dealing with a sophisticated, intelligent, educated individual,” describing the perpetrator as “someone whom a child would inherently trust.”

On March 23, 1977, Timothy King’s lifeless body was discovered in a ditch alongside a dirt road in Livonia by a pair of teenagers. He was dressed in the same attire he had worn when he departed home, with his skateboard found nearby, approximately 15 feet from where his body lay.

Mirroring the previous incidents, Timothy had been nurtured and cared for. He had been provided his preferred meal – Kentucky Fried Chicken. He had been meticulously groomed and cleaned before meeting his tragic demise through suffocation. Similar to Mark, he had also been subjected to sexual assault.

There exists a possibility that Jane Louise Allan could have succumbed to the Oakland County Child Killer as well. Her remains were recovered from a river in Miamisburg, Ohio on August 11, 1976. Jane was last spotted hitchhiking along I-75 in Pontiac on August 7. The cause of her death was attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning, as she was reportedly confined in the trunk of a vehicle until her passing. On March 16, 1977, the Oakland County Task Force disclosed the following suspect description: Male; aged 20-30; Above average education and intelligence; Caucasian; Capable of concealing a child for a minimum of 18 days; Homosexual; Exhibits mental instabilities; Obsessively clean; No history of substance abuse; Potentially vacationed during December-January; Maintains a clean car and residence; Resides in a single dwelling with an attached garage, valued at over $30,000; Previous encounters with law enforcement; Currently undergoing psychiatric treatment; Holds a white-collar job with a 9-5 work schedule; Operates in southern Oakland County; Desires discovery of bodies.

A flyer was produced and circulated with the message: “The community seeks your assistance. The Oakland County Special Task Force is in search of an individual responsible for multiple child homicides. If you have had contact with this individual, the Task Force believes they fit the following profile…” accompanied by key points outlining the offender’s profile. Additionally, a composite sketch and description of the individual were provided.

Each flyer concluded with an instruction urging individuals with information to contact local law enforcement or call collect at (313) 644-3400, Birmingham Police Department, 151 Martin Street, Birmingham, Michigan 48011.

The Task Force received over 18,000 leads, resulting in approximately two dozen arrests unrelated to the case and the exposure of a multi-state child pornography network operating on North Fox Island in Lake Michigan.

Shortly after the murder of Timothy King, a letter was sent to a psychiatrist collaborating with the task force. The correspondence, penned by an individual using the moniker “Allen,” professed to be a submissive of the perpetrator known as “Frank.” In the letter, “Allen” asserted that both he and “Frank” had served together in the Vietnam War, with “Frank” allegedly being deeply affected by the act of taking the lives of children. “Allen” conveyed regret in the letter, expressing concerns about his deteriorating mental state, feelings of endangerment, and suicidal tendencies. He confessed to accompanying “Frank” in his search for young male victims to slay.

“Allen” instructed the psychiatrist to embed the cryptic phrase “weather bureau says trees to bloom in three weeks” in the upcoming Sunday edition of the Detroit Free Press as a signal for their communication. “Allen” promised to provide photographic proof in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Despite the psychiatrist arranging a meeting with “Allen” at a bar, “Allen” failed to appear and subsequently vanished without a trace.

In 2005, an unidentified individual using the alias “Jeff” stepped forward, recalling an acquaintance from 1977. During a 2010 interview with investigators, “Jeff” recounted anomalous behaviors and conversations with said acquaintance. Notably, the acquaintance referenced specifics detailed in “Allen’s” letter.

“Jeff” provided a formal statement to Oakland County Investigators and Prosecutor Jessica Cooper, offering evidence in the case. He disclosed his attempts to persuade Cooper to transfer the investigation to the Department of Justice, but his suggestions were rebuffed as the department was already engaged through entities like the FBI and the ViCAP database. Jeff sought information about the “Allen” letter to validate his suspicions, but his request was declined as he failed to present new evidence. Cooper described the interview as a “rambling statement articulating a theory linking the Oakland County Child Killer abductions and murders to pagan holidays, the lunar calendar, and Wiccan rituals.”

Undeterred, Jeff proceeded to communicate with Deborah Jarvis, the mother of Kristine Mihelich, and other investigative journalists. He asserted that he was part of a team of twelve investigators working on the case and claimed he could identify the perpetrator. Despite inquiries about the law enforcement division he collaborated with, Jeff chose not to disclose this information.

Stating that he had devoted 10,000 hours to the investigation over the years, Jeff hesitated to share his findings due to his skepticism about the competence of the Oakland County investigators. He suggested that interference by Cooper might have occurred.

Paul Hughes, the attorney of Deborah Jarvis, believed that Jeff’s investigation had identified the murderer. However, he refused to reveal his discoveries unless authorities provided essential information enabling him to confirm the identity of the suspect with certainty.

By 2012, Jeff had presented his findings to a restricted group of Detroit journalists via a call on Hughes’ cell phone. Insisting that the call remain unrecorded, Jeff asserted that the killers were engaging in Wiccan human sacrifice rituals coinciding with pagan celebrations or the lunar calendar. He claimed there were approximately 11-16 victims and pointed out several notable similarities among the cases, dismissing them as improbable coincidences. Hughes initiated litigation against the authorities of Oakland County for $100 million, alleging mishandling of the investigation and called for Jessica Cooper’s resignation. The lawsuit claimed a conspiracy to cover up and hinder the investigation. In March 2012, the case was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Another individual, Archibald Edward Sloan, a known child molester, was investigated as a suspect. Despite hair samples from his car matching those found on the bodies of Timothy King and Mark Stebbins, they did not belong to Sloan.

Forensic DNA analysis in 2012 revealed that the hair found on Sloan’s car seat and the victims both matched an unidentified man. This led authorities to suspect that Sloan had lent his car to the perpetrator and may have knowledge of their identity. Sloan took a polygraph test, which he failed.

A witness reported that Timothy was abducted by two men, with one resembling John Wayne Gacy, who was coincidentally in Michigan at the time. However, Gacy’s DNA did not match that found on the victims.

Subsequently, Parma Heights police identified a new suspect, Ted Lamborgine, a retired auto worker linked to a 1970s child pornography ring. On March 27, 2007, investigators declared him as their primary suspect. Lamborgine entered a guilty plea for 15 sex-related charges involving young boys. He declined a plea deal requiring him to undergo a polygraph test regarding the Oakland County murders. While investigators did not view him as the perpetrator, they believed he possessed pertinent details that could aid in resolving the case. Despite being offered a reduced sentence in exchange for the polygraph test, he persistently turned it down.

Following this, in October 2007, the family of Mark Stebbins initiated a wrongful death lawsuit against Lamborgine, seeking $25,000. They alleged that in the late 1970s, Lamborgine, who resided in the Metro Detroit vicinity, had abducted Mark, detained him in a Royal Oak residence for four days, and suffocated him to death during a sexual assault. To date, there has been no formal connection established between Lamborgine and Mark Stebbins’ demise.

The investigation stalled until Barry King, Timothy King’s father, and his brother, Chris King, approached law enforcement with a new suspect. They recommended an inquiry into Chris Busch, the offspring of General Motors executive Harold Lee Busch. A key factor linking Busch – the ownership of a blue Vega vehicle resembling the infamous blue Gremlin sighted during one of the abductions.

Busch had been taken into police custody shortly before Timothy’s abduction due to suspicions of involvement in child pornography. Allegedly, Busch took his own life in November 1978, under questionable circumstances. The manner of his death was a gunshot wound directly between the eyes, devoid of gunshot residue and blood spatters. Upon searching the room, four shell casings were discovered, alongside the peculiar finding of his body neatly wrapped under his sheets. Investigating officers came across bloodstained ligatures and a hand-drawn image affixed to the wall depicting a boy resembling Mark Stebbins in a screaming gesture.

The shotgun shells recovered were scrutinized in connection to the homicide of Jill Robinson, but no conclusive match was established. “Even NASA was consulted to attempt an identification of the caliber, but to no avail,” remarked Cooper.

No conclusive evidence could link Chris Busch to the aforementioned murders, as the DNA profile did not align and no other incriminating evidence linking him to the crimes was found. “There exists no definitive evidence to allege Mr. Bush’s involvement in the deaths of Timothy King, Jill Robinson, Kristine Mihelich, or Mark Stebbins,” stated Paul Walton, the chief assistant Oakland County prosecutor.

Subsequently, the State Police released 3,400 pages of investigative documents to Barry King. After reviewing these records, the King family produced a documentary titled Decades of Deceit, criticizing law enforcement and prosecutors for their alleged lapses in investigation and lack of cooperation.

The documentary argued that authorities overlooked crucial leads unveiled by the family in 2006. Proceeds from the documentary’s sales were donated to the Tim King fund, aimed at aiding abused children and supporting activities for youth in Birmingham.

Another lead, James Vincent Gunnels, briefly emerged as a significant suspect. His mitochondrial DNA matched a hair sample found on Kristine Mihelich’s body, although Gunnels vehemently denied any involvement. Gunnels stated, “I assert my innocence unequivocally. Nevertheless, I am aware of how the state police manipulate words to their advantage. My thoughts are with those families. Their lack of closure is deeply troubling to me. I believe justice has not been served in their cases.”

After addressing the media, he made personal contact with the King family.

Chris King remarked, “Initially, I was hesitant to attend. I anticipated the difficulty of being face-to-face with a possible suspect in this matter. There is a remote chance that he may have played a role in (Kristine Mihelich’s) abduction or death.”

Although the police disclosed that Gunnels had failed a polygraph test, they were curious to hear his words directly. Chris King explained, “We approached the situation with uncertainty. We were advised to ask open-ended questions, and simply listen to his narrative. Perhaps he could provide new insights or details.”

Ultimately, Barry King found the account Gunnels shared plausible, yet it conflicted with his previous statements to others. One consistent detail was his denial of any awareness or involvement in the Oakland County Child Killings. Gunnels stated, “At this moment, I am completely unaware of the actions that man may have taken against others.”

Chris King, in reference to his unsuccessful polygraph tests, remarked, “It’s perplexing to me. How can you explain attempting to deceive during one polygraph test and then failing a second one? If you had no involvement or knowledge of the crimes, why resort to cheating in the first place and then subsequently failing the second test? It simply does not make sense.”

Gunnels expressed to the Kings his deep regret, saying, “I feel dreadful. I cannot fathom the thought of such events occurring without my awareness all those years. It truly troubles me.”

(“The Child Predator of Oakland County” source: The Scare Chamber: https://weirddarkness.tiny.us/mpee9zbs)